Friday, May 04, 2007

Stats on teen driving

More than 450,000 teen passengers and drivers were injured and more than 5,500 died as a result of vehicle crashes in 2005.

One third of all 16-year-old licensed drivers were involved in a motor vehicle crash in 2005.

Teen drivers, ages 16 and 17, driving with even one teen passenger are 50 percent more likely to be involved in a crash than when driving alone. With two teen passengers in the vehicle, the risk more than doubles. With three or more teen passengers, it’s nearly four times more likely that teens will be involved in a crash than if they were driving alone.

Fifty percent of fatalities that occur with a teen at the wheel happen after dark, even though most teen driving occurs during daylight hours. More than 75 percent of those nighttime crashes by 16- and 17-year-old drivers occur between 9 p.m. and midnight.